NREGS scam: Complaint filed against 16 in Dahod

The Fatehpura police said that Additional Commissioner for NREGA Balwant Chauhan filed the complaint after a visited to the area with a team from Gandhinagar. The complaint states that the scam could go well beyond Rs 18 lakh,in which the accused allegedly made bogus entries of 1,000 farmers and embezzled the money.

The complaint has named Taluka Development Officer S D Chauhan; block officials S R Bihola,J M Umaria and Bhavesh Damor; Auditor Bhavik Mehta; manager of Suksar branch of Bank of Baroda,Mahendrasinh Rana; Lokayukta ( talati ) for Nani Sariaya village,P L Katara; Nani Sariaya village sarpanch Urmila Damor; Lokayukta for Javesi village V B Damor; Javesi sarpanch Kusumben Damor; and Postmaster of Fatehpura office,S N Damor; as those involved in embezzling Rs 18,17,395,which was supposed to be paid to the farmers for wells dug in the last two years.

“The accused according to the complaint struck off 1,000 names of farmers,who were supposed to get the payments,and instead supplied the authorities with fake names. The complainant has filed a cheating case against these officials,” said a senior police officer refusing to be named.

Meanwhile,NREGA authorities have initiated a departmental enquiry into the other payments. Officer-in-charge of Dahod district for NREGA,Govind Desai,said that the investigation into 3,385 complaints is still on. “We disbursed funds up to Rs 1.5 crore for payments in various areas of Dahod district,which should be available in the next week,” added Desai.

He added that additional funds up to Rs 12 crore would be disbursed in a phased manner according to the availability of funds in the post offices and banks of the district. Dahod district officials said that officials,whose names surfaced in the inquiry,have already been transferred.